Proposed New suckler Scheme

It has been a trend to add the QA to scheme. It was part of beam.

Very little work needed to get QA sorted, Just in general a mindset, to get the paperwork in order and then it an easy job to keep it on top of it.

Loads of boxes to tick and its just a matter off keeping them ticked.

Lots of resources and aids out there to keep the records in orders. Even a simple thing like just having a separate email for the farm, vet will email statment and prescrtions, feed supplier now is gone paperless and emails statments and invoices, that will keep at lot of paperwork together in one place. Little and often is the key and doing it as you go is the key.

Looking at bdgp and beep you have a combo of approx 160/ head. Probably will see them drop it to sub 150/head to fund the other schemes. Doing this will slowly reduce suckler numbers

Don't see the point in this nonsense when the main expansion in numbers is via Dairy

The purpose of this is to support existing Suckler cows mainly west of the Shannon. However it also want to prevent expansion.

I totally agree with preventing expansion. According to the rag there is a proposal to pay up to 300/ cow. If that proposal was enacted without any limit on expansion there is a lot of lads that would up cow numbers by far more than one or two.

There is other options to expand keep cattle longer or go down the finishing route. Looking at AA prices and the fact that Suckler farmers can get the 20c bonus an R grading AA bullock at 300 kgs DW will gross 1400 euro. A 280 kg DW heifer will gross over 1300. A 370 kg DW bullock will gross 1700 euro. Sheep is another option. Hill lambs will make 2+/kg this Autumn.

For lads on fairish land that has to be considered as an option. The reason ewes are not limited is that last year was we imported the 700k lambs in carcasse form for processing.

The last thing we want is more beef so processor's can pocket the 100 -130 euro extra you get along with another 50-100 off every animal fattened from the dairy system actually think it a retrograde step. There should have been no extra money targeted at suckler's if anything reduce the money and let suckling wither on the Vine. The only reason the processors want them is for winter fattening.

I'm sure if you kept your beef calves it's likely they were well bred, but there's ahuge amount of calves sold that are only screws and when they're on adlib milk for 4 weeks it's diffficult not to be caught out by them.

But for that problem rearing calves is a lovely system, no night calving, wild cattle or dangerous cows to tolerate

Whether any of us like it or not calves from dairy cows will be there as will the cull cows themselves. Neither the dairy industry nor the Irish beef industry or Irish agriculture in general can afford mass slaughter of calves. IMO yes like you have posted export of calves will come under pressure sooner rather than later.

However look at the price Irish farmers paid for calves at stages this spring. Once again they out competed exporters for Friesian calves. For all the talk about quality it has bottomed out and is improving. I no longer see the large number of first cross JE around, the second cross is as good as run of the mill Friesians if done right.

On DNA testing it would be more appropriate to DNA test dairy farmers stock bulls. However the big question is would marts display this infor and could your average run of the mill farmer interprete it. The only real pity about DBA testing in Agriculture is absolutely no DNA testing of farmers has taken place.

Just one thing to remember when beef farming it takes 2okgs DW extra and a rise in grade excluding QA to make 100 euro extra on a carcasse

What do you mean by a calf registration amnesty?

It never going to happen. It up to farmers to manage out of it themselves. Unless you are doing it accross a complete herd and are 3-5 months out of cycle it's not really an issue. It immaterial now with the bull game gone and while weight limits are not in place this year they could haunt us next year

How is the bull game gone?

Who made up the age limit? there is no reason why the bonus cannot be paid on cows